Re-learning Affection
by Ki-hori-e-te-ao
Summary: On the night of Hogwarts final battle, Percy Weasley stays at home to care for his infant twins, while his Auror wife Audrey goes into battle. With Percy being absent from the final battle, his reconcile never happened. Years later, still estranged Percy Weasley must learn how to re-love people other than his daughters, while learning to accept the love of his family.
1. Chapter 1

Soft snores echo about the flat, not a noise was heard. Not car, nor animal, nor voice broke the silent stare off. Amber bores into azure and words are spoken with a glance. Emotions flicker across the respective gazes, resistance, disapproval, desperation. Tension is heavy in the air, bodies wound up and ready to strike at the slightest anomaly. Finally, thin peach lips move, breaking the eerie silence is a quiet whisper.

"I am going Percy and you can't stop me."

Pale lips purse, his reply muttered, heard only because of the deafening silence.

"Why can't I go? The twins need you, they can survive without a father."

A steely gaze sent, as amber eyes narrow. Azure eyes glare back in defiance.

"Because I am a trained, fully qualified Auror and the longer you keep me here the less of a chance we have of winning this war! So I am telling you, Percy Ignatius Weasley, I am going to apparate to Hogsmeade and you are going to stay here and look after our children!" The whispers are teetering on the edge of a normal talking voice, filled with malice.

The silence is tangible, dark as the night shrouding their flat. He relents, because she is right and he can't help but trust her, because that's all she's ever asked of him. Every action becomes deliberated, the emotion behind it deeper. Lanky limbs move forward, a hair breath between the duo.

"Fine, just come back, please." He pleads, wrapping her in a lingering embrace.

"I'll try Perce..." She says into his chest, smelling his cologne, feeling his intimacy once more, before she leaves to the war that ruined them.

A war that is shattering lives so effortlessly.

Not another word is spoke. A crack sounds and she is travelling miles away, no longer in his loving embrace. He anxiously hopes for her safety, sitting down rigidly. He holds his head in shaking fingers, feeling helpless. She imagines one last kiss with him, before preparing for the worst. In that moment Percy Weasley is his most vulnerable and not that he knows this, but so is Audrey Weasley née Smyth.


	2. Chapter 2

Dawn comes with trepidation as he awakens to the soft whining of Lucy. A torrent of news also comes, the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, dead. Death by the magic he yearned to control, at the hands of the boy whom he'd tried to kill countless of times. The news causes a tremor of excitement and pain all at once. Excitement at finally being able to go out of hiding. Pain, because Audrey isn't there. There's no Audrey to celebrate with. Audrey isn't alive.

Percy knows this, as he knows she isn't the only casualty. This knowledge is gained by facts, like the fact that he didn't wake to three beautiful females, but two. Audrey, alive and no matter what the state of her health is-was, will-would always come back to him. Will-would, never leave him alone by choice, her heart is-was, too kind and too large for such a cruel feat. He knows she's gone, in the way Molly and Lucy cry without reason, only the blinding sensation that something is wrong. He knows this because Audrey would send him a letter in the least, to reassure him she is fine, but no letter comes.

Two days later though, he can't stop the tears that trail symmetrically down his flushed cheeks. Nor can he cease the quivering legs or the heavy breaths. In fact, he only holds himself up long enough for someone, Padma Patil if he's right, to gently pry his daughters from his unstable grip. All semblance of hope is lost as he stares at her name, freshly written, just added among the many casualties. She is gone and suddenly it feels real, she's not going to go home ever again. To kiss him ever again. To insult him. His brilliant wife is gone and it hurts so badly.

Hazel eyes stare confused, seven months young infants, are unable to comprehend what's wrong. All they can know, all they feel is sadness and they wail for their silent, in mourning father. Padma watches on in desperation, so glad that her sister is only laying in a coma an apparation away, because she isn't grieving, not like the people surrounding her, because her little sister still has a thirty percent chance at living, thirty percent more than the names crudely written in ink.

All the while, a family of eleven celebrate being alive in a far away Burrow. Because they lost no one and they don't have a gaping hole in their hearts. They don't think of the estranged family member, too relieved to have no casualty, to wonder about the missing person in their puzzle. Because the Weasley family are fine, but the Weasley-Smyth family aren't. Percy hurts so much he can't even articulate properly while the twins just want their father back, whining and squirming for him.

His world is in scattered fragments and ever so slowly, he stands. Piece by piece, he puts his mind, his heavy heart back together again. Tears are wiped, noses are blown and breathing evened. Finally put together, Percy thanks Padma, sturdy arms open to grab his daughters. The two grizzling infants are calm in his grasp, his strong, protective grasp. It still hurts. It still feels unbelievable, but he hugs them tighter and knows he's fine, because he has his, no their daughters. He'll heal from this shock, this disbelief. Molly and Lucy can guarantee that.


	3. Chapter 3

Audrey isn't buried, not like she deserved. A quick, pitying explanation from Madam Pomfrey tells him that she, along with hundreds of others were buried together. Those whom were either unnamed or unclaimed. Apparently they thought she had no next of kin, resulting in her being mass buried. The headstone has yet to be raised, since many others were still getting buried. Madam Pomfrey was quick to assure him that a simple cloning spell made sure she and every other 'brave fighter, bless their souls', received a 'beautiful, ebony coffin'. But that news did nothing to soothe his aching heart, so Percy was left with no closure. No last goodbye, no last kiss, no last I'm sorry. Just heart-wrenching memories, that hurt too much to re-visit in that instance. With a weary sigh, he adjusted his children, each on a respective hip and walked towards Hogs Head, the only place with a connected, child safe Floo Network.

When Percy arrives at thei- no, at his flat, the first thing he does, is coax the twins in to sleeping. Okay, the first thing he really does, is make two bottles of formula and rock his daughters to sleep. Hoping he could just put them down was really naïve of him, so he had to feed them, then clean them, before they dozed off. Fussy girls were just like him, hated a mess, always demanding enough, the twins fall asleep quickly. He thinks vaguely, that Audrey was such an insistent sleeper, always demanding at least ten hours and throwing a fit when the demand's ignored. Just like his daughters, hated falling to sleep but loved sleeping.

Finally, with a moment of peace and no racket, Percy gets up and walks to his office. It hasn't been in use since he'd evacuated the ministry, when they became aware of all the suspicious things he and his wife had mysteriously caused. Since then there had been no reason to use it, but he knew parchments and quils laid around in drawers and he knew he'd need a list to get through this. Ten minutes of lining, re-lining and fiddling with his quil passed, before the first words are jot down. He's made three columns, ruling them with a dusty book.

Things I know.

1. My name: Percy Ignatius Weasley.  
>2. My wife's name: Audrey Weasley née Smyth.<br>3. My daughter's names: eldest is Molly Joyce Weasley-Smyth and Luciella Weasley-Smyth.  
>4. I am 23-years-old and currently jobless.<br>5. I am a single father.  
>6. I just found out my wife died, because I let her go off to fight war.<br>7. I am a ginormous prat.  
>8. This feeling is the worst feeling in the world and I don't know how to cope by my-self.<p>

Things I need to do.

1. Visit Audrey's friends incase they don't know.  
>2. Look after the kids.<br>3. Keep living.  
>4. Hope to hell and back that I can do this.<br>5. Get a job somewhere, preferably non-ministry related.  
>6. Pay respects to Audrey's parents.<br>7. Apologise to her parents for not protecting Audrey.  
>8. Try to convince people I'm not crazy for talking to two headstones.<p>

What I need.

1. Painkillers.  
>2. A shower.<br>3. Re-stock cupboards.  
>4. Visit Gringotts.<br>5. A friend.

Finally finished with the three accurate, if not cynical lists, Percy takes them to his room and spello-tapes them to the wall. With dusk nearing, Percy makes sure to raise the wards around his daughters, then around his house. The day done and dusted, Percy gives both his daughters a longing look when passing their cots, making sure they are safe in the corner. A heavy heart plagues him and he finds himself unable to sleep, no twist and turns helping. So he does something that he knows will help. Grabbing his frayed quil, with feathers that ruffled in his tight grip, he adds one last, shaky word to his what I need column. It's perfect, he thinks, his shaky penmanship being the last thing his blurry sight catches.

The moon stares wistfully at the scrawled word, Audrey gleams in moonlight, each raven letter strangely bright.


	4. Chapter 4

Laying in bed, he thinks about Audrey. It's the first time he's let himself really think about her, not like all those other half-hearted attempts of convincing himself she's fine, but thinking about her in finality. Percy met her on a windy Saturday night. His eyes close and he remembers everything.

It's the first Saturday since Christmas at the Burrow happened and Percy remembers feeling annoyed. Feeling lonely and stressed. Obviously at twenty-years-old the only way to relieve stress is going to the pub. So, he does just that and in some dingy pub on the darker side of Diagon Alley, near Knockturn Alley. It's dark and incredibly un-Percy like, exactly why he chose it. No one will recognise him there and if they do, they will assume it's someone else, no one will know and that's the appeal. To continue the un-Percy-ish behaviour, he underdressed heavily. Jeans that Penelope bought him are worn, as is a flannel Oliver had left at his house some months ago. It's dangerous, dressing so muggle in this time of war, frankly he couldn't care-less though.

The night isn't remarkable or romantic. Drinks come in an abundance and laughter is boisterous, she strolls in and he's so drunk that he's a bit too bold. With a swagger in his step, he walked up and began to talk to her.

A wry smile works its way on to his face as he tries to remember the nonsense they talked about. His memories are hazy, but he's certain a bad joke garners her attention. Something about some elf-wine and an obnoxious American Auror with the punchline, "Elf-fine you hot!". Not the best joke out there, but it gains her attention in the least. Somewhere along her twelfth pint of extra hot butterbeer and his fifth glass of firewhisky, they kiss. A kiss leads to a trip to his flat. Longingly he thinks of her soft ebony hair, of gentle caresses and pleading moans. Rowena knows he misses her.

After the one night stand, she quietly disappeared and he doesn't think anything of it.

Except, she's an Auror and had he known that at the time, he wouldn't have approached the rather attractive women. Because, as sleazy as it may sound, he wanted one night. When ones one-night-stand works in the same place, regardless of how large it is, they will meet again. And they do, to their mutual shock, but, Audrey being Audrey, makes it feel so right. After a week of ignoring her, he realises she's quite brilliant, witty yet kind, strong yet gentle. She worms her way in to his brain, then his life, finally, his heart.

Dates are schedule, visits to the pub. Movies at hers, Quidditch with him. Ice cream and Bertie's beans. Laughing. Reading. It's too much.

Everything became about Audrey. Her smile, filled with a sardonic type of mischief. Eyes that showed everything and nothing at once. The birthmark near her belly button that made her squeal and groan. Soft sensational kisses and caresses. It takes everything he has not to cry and scream, because it's all so ruddy unfair and she was a good person. Her heart was so wide and she cared when no one cared and-and-and she loved him, even when he knew he didn't deserve it. That's what hits him the hardest. He's pathetic, cowardly, he let her die, even though he sent her to her death, she cared enough to keep him from his demise. Too sore. It hurts too much.

A scream trembles, ripples through his throat and tears burn his skin with the intensity of any Acid pop. Why her? Why not him? It hurts, Rowena it hurts. He can't make it stop hurting and he feels so pathetic. So idiotic. This hurts too much. In the corner of Flat 42B, two twins awake frightened screaming their beautiful, crimson heads off. Too lost in pain, Percy doesn't notice for nearly five minutes.

When he notices, he tells himself to grow a pair. With trembling feet he walks over to his M-J and sweet Luciella. Though hoarse and scratchy, he whispers and coos and sings and tries everything to calm his darlings down. It takes a while and he feels frail and unfit, by the Founders he's only twenty-two, he can't handle this alone. It's so unfair. Nothing is right anymore, but he promises, listening to the soft whining of his daughters, that they'll grow up in a word where beautiful, kind people like their mother aren't slaughtered by the dozen. They'll grow up right. He promises.

**Hey. Thanks for reading and a quick heads up, after this the story is more choppy and fast paced, with time-skips and shiz like that. It'll follow a more drabble-like format. Yeah, so bye.**


	5. Chapter 5

Things I need to do:

1. Visit Audrey's friends incase they don't know.  
>2. Look after the kids.<br>3. Keep living.  
>4. Hope to hell and back that I can do this.<br>5. Get a job somewhere, preferably non-ministry related.  
>6. Pay respects to Audrey's parents.<br>7. Apologise to her parents for not protecting Audrey.  
>8. Try to convince people I'm not crazy for talking to two headstones.<p>

He starts this list, three days after finding out about Audrey; five days after Voldermort's demise.

Done with mourning, he'd paid his first visit to Fei, her best friend. Fei is also dead, as is her child Len, who lays in his mothers grasp terror etched on his face. In a corner crouched and mangled is the corpse of Jack, her muggle boyfriend of eight years. Percy barely has enough time to put his daughters down, before he is retching in a corner far from the corpses which have rotted, infested with maggots, and the vulgar words written in blood in the walls. He stumbles from the corner after ten minutes and floo-calls a Ministry worker, reports the deaths and weakly carries himself and his daughters from the bloodied house.

Next comes visiting Nyssa, Audrey's apprentice. She's an early graduate at seventeen, has been under Audrey's guide for two years. When he finds brave Nyssa, the Greek women who smiled brighter than stars, she's in a corner bawling her eyes out. Grey eyes look, unseeing and she murmurs in gibberish. It's the Cruciatus Curse. Another Floo-call, just to St. Mungo's this time, he stays with her at arms length, hoping for a reply. There is none and he is left only with more despair, two twins wearing at his patience and no will to continue.

Hestia is fine. She has a great chunk of her arm gone, which can't be older than three weeks and she looks tired, but she's fine enough to attack him. After the initial attack and some proof of being him, he sombrely informs the Auror of her comrades death. Hestia takes this news with a resentful frown and amber eyes that have seen far beyond its thirty-one-years. With a final goodbye, he leaves and comes home exhausted. As are the twins.

At home they squirm, they squeal and he can barely take it. He feeds them, they cry. He sings to them, they cry. He reads. Cry. Scream. Wail. The noise is increasing, louder, louder. It's deafening. Nothing is shutting them up. Ever so slowly, his heart is breaking, he has no idea what to do. He shuts down, the world dims and he skids down in front of their cot, props his knees up, burying his head in them in an attempt to shut out the noise. Somewhere along the way, he slowly, slowly manages to wake up and he stands. They've managed to tire themselves out, tears streak their caramel coloured cheeks and their crimson lashes are glued tight.

Angry at himself for overreacting, Percy fetches two face cloths and a bowl of water, before gently cleaning and drying their faces, whispering millions of apologies. Whispering his deepest regrets to his daughters, they breathe silently, not stirring from his actions. When he is done, he lays a kiss on their foreheads, before swiftly making his way to his room, each step is fast, uneven, he shakes yearning for his high. It's the first time in nearly a year. He promises himself it's a one-time thing, that he's not really starting up again, either which way, a cigarette is in his mouth and he smokes.

The nicotine takes away the tense emotions, the disappointment, horror and replace it with a dull dizziness, just like when he started smoking, but the high is better after so many months without. One cigarette turns to two, the three and he wills himself, with all his self-discipline to stop at five. Cracking a window in his study open, he places the carton back in a box, then hides it behind a closet, where he had first hidden it, when Audrey had first asked him to quit. After that, he raises the barriers around the house, takes a long, necessary shower and bask in the hot water rapidly hitting his back.

One goal down, seven more to go. He nearly falls over in exhaustion, at the revelation.

* * *

><p>This... Was not how the chapter was planned, but it's how it went, so here. Okay, after this the Drabble thing should kick in, if not then eh, just know that the story will continue. Sometimes it'll be fast, others it'll be slow. Also, if Percy seems like a prat, he's supposed to, he's a single father raising twins after a war that killed his wife...Obviously it's supposed to mess with his head, so he'll be a douche at times and very nice other times. Why is he a smoke? I don't know, I told you it wasn't planned like this, it just is. Kay. Thanks for reading.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**2. Look after the kids.**

Sometime around their eight-month mark, which marks two weeks after the battle of Hogwarts, Luce, his youngest child begins to crawl. Albeit it's not perfect. She rises on trembling knees and giggles, places a hand forward, then her leg and then her other hand. Luce takes two sloppy, imperfect struts forward, then falls softly on her stomach.

After that she peers up at him with cerulean eyes a light with mirth and laughs a laugh akin to chiming bells. Percy's heart stops in this moment and the chip on his shoulder disappears, a grin splits his face and he's getting better. MJ gets jealous and decides in that moment to throw her small, wide-eyed teddy at her younger sister.

Laughing lightly, Percy lies on the ground with both his children and mumble incoherent sentences at them, grabbing the unoccupied teddy and playing around with his baby girls'. They reply with vigour, reaching for the toy, clapping and mumbling even less coherent sentences. He thinks he's getting there with number two.

**3. Keep living.**

There are times, when he wakes up and doesn't move for hours. Nothing stirs him. Not the beaming sun or the revving engines outside. Not the arguing neighbours or the twin's screaming. Those times are rare, but each time it happens the guilt in his stomach gets deeper and heavier. These are the days he smokes a minimum of four fags and looks with a twisted kind of delight at his wand. When he realises two words can end his life.

Usually on those days, two words do save his life. MJ and Lucy. Eventually, on those days he moves. He entertains and feeds his children, while making slow-progressing plans for the future.

Other days, he wakes up ready to face the world. To defeat and conquer the universe. These are the days he sings to his kids, doesn't smoke even one cigarette, when his plans are finished.

These days are rarer than any other types of days, but they're the ones he treasures the most. Filled with breakfasts gone wrong, but still ending in laughter. Where the need for freedom overwhelms paranoia and he can walk with them to the park, albeit there's still a many number of protection charms over them. Days when he's free of all the pain war caused.

Most days are normal. Percy wakes up, via crying or mumbling babies that never sleep a minute past seven. Where he has enough will and everything he plans and does advances bit by bit. These days he has a minimum of a half a fag, where he sighs heavily at his troublesome duo, but still manages to smile at them. Days where he's not quite at their beck and call, but still there, can still hear them, when he's not lost in grief. When redemption is still possible.

It's a work in progress, but he's getting there.

**4. Hope to Hell and back I can do this.**

Everyday, he hopes to the proverbial Hell that he can do this. This task deserves the quick cross he marked through it.

**5. Get a job somewhere, preferably non-ministry related.**

Percy takes a look at that task, a look at his daughters and thinks, no. That can wait for just a little while longer. It helps that Junior Undersecratary to the Minister, or bum boy as his wife had mockingly exclaimed, had a very good pay, even when Pius was Minister of Magic.

More so, it helped that Audrey was from perhaps one of the oldest Pureblood families in the entire U.K and she was sole heiress to their fortune. Percy also takes note of a rather lavish amount of land in Ireland and thinks, maybe moving would be a good thing to add to his agenda.

**6. Pay respects to Audrey's parents.**  
><strong>7. Apologise to her parents for not protecting Audrey.<strong>  
><strong>8. Try to convince people I'm not crazy for talking to two headstones.<strong>

These lucky task, come up within the same day. Happily, number eight was unnecessary, as the no one was around the private cemetery. He takes note that it's a family cemetery and already has plans for a headstone and the date in which it will be raised.

Apologising caused a rather minor breakdown, that he'd very much loath talking about and ended with Lucy hugging him and MJ wiping his tears away as best as her dark, tiny fingers could manage. After the breakdown, when his tears had tried and his chest stopped heaving, because in all honesty the apology was for his mocha haired wife, more than it was for his parent's in law.

After that ordeals, he marks that list with mostly crosses _(1,4,6,7,8,)_ two work in progress _(2,3)_ and one crossed out beyond reading _(5)_. This, is where he starts his next list. This is also where he puts away a chapter of his life.

It's been two months and eight days since Audrey's death and he's ready to move on. She's not dead, not in his heart, she'll always be alive there, but he thinks he can bury the pain and loneliness her death caused. Thinks he can start a new chapter, just him and his children. Right now, that's all he needs. Thinkings aren't better, per se, but they're advancing and one day, the promise he swore to his children will be fulfilled. One day soon, hopefully.

* * *

><p><strong>I apologise if this update took a while and for any mistakes, but I did warn the readers that I am terrible at updating. And if I actually haven't warned the readers of what a terrible updater I am and am just spouting lies, then you've been warned. So, sorry for the wait, it took me a while to decide how to lay this chapter out and where it lead and stuff. Also, just to clarify, Audrey, my Audrey Smyth is dark-skinned and her daughters inherited that and have red hair, which will turn browner as they get older. They also have dark blue-y black-ish eyes. <strong>

**Does my portrayal of the children go against everything I learnt about Bio in science class? Yes. Do I care? Not really. **

**Anyway, thank you for reading thus far and if you want, you may continue it when I next update. If you think at this stage it sucks, then by all means, don't read it. Again, thank you and hopefully I'll (proverbially) see you again.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ireland.**

There were two options Percy had. The legal by the books, each conduct in line and completely straight and narrow way, his way, or the wayward, loop-holed, questionably legal yet still within some morals way, Audrey's way. His choice, when he carefully weighed them, was quite simple.

A) Follow the rules, ask for help in the crumbling Wizard society and trust someone who might be an undercover Death Eater with personal information. His way.

Or...

B) Disappear in the disarray, make like he never existed and bend the law as far as possible, preserving a possibly safer future. Audrey's way.

Okay, technically the second one was more like Audrey. not actually her way, he knows she'd be too considerate to drop off the face of earth and leave literally no trace of her existence. But, it's his way and no matter what, she'd support him. (After a few colourful, relatively harmless hexes.)

Towing a heavy suitcase behind him and pushing one large, double seated stroller, Percy cast a simple glamour and smiles. He never was as considerate as her, he thinks plane ticket and fake passports in hand.

Percy Weasley is gone, Tangius Prewett is born, with his two 'adopted' daughters Joy and Cecilia.

_"Passports please."_

_"Of course, here you go Sir."_

_"Your name is Tag-ny-us Prewett?"_

_"No, the 'g' is silent, it's Tanius."_

_"Right, well, have a good flight Mr. Prewett."_

**First word.**

Molly's first word isn't Dad, no matter how many times he repeated that word. Actually, as soon as more coherent ahh's left her mouth, he'd been trying to convince his oldest to say dad. Hours and hour wasted and her first word?

"No."

Admittedly, the little rascal and her sister fought tooth and nail, attacking each other far too often, so he had to scold them! It's not his fault he says no one too many times.

He still sulks in the corner, looking aghast at his dark, grinning, beautiful eldest, she grins triumphantly.

Behind her sister, Lucy giggles and claps her hand together, before pulling her sister back, unsuccessfully coaxing MJ to play tag with her.

**Moving.**

It takes him a week after finishing his task, a month after visiting Audrey's parents, he decides to move. The twins are nearing the one year mark and while Lucy could run ungraceful laps around MJ, MJ could out talk her sister as though it was second nature. Though, most of MJ's vocabulary consisted of 'No!', 'Dah', 'Naughty' and 'Yes'

The two were growing up evidently and Percy won't lie, the pride in his chest is more than slightly tangible. He finds himself unable to leave their presence, left with pictures of rotting corpses, bloody walls and wails of protest when he takes his eyes off his children. Admittedly, he's paranoid. Percy feels the paranoia chill his bones at night, fueling his need for nicotine as he strengthens the wards around his house and walks as far as possible from his kids in their cramped apartment. He cracks a window open and he pulls the auto-refill packet from his scruffy coats jacket.

His fingers run against light stubble and he entertain the idea of shaving, before he lights his smoke with a simple, wandless incantation. That's when he sees it, a half smoked cigarette falls to the ground in an almost clichéd fashion. In the distant dark sky, painted against the ebony backdrop is the most terrifyingly familiar symbol, the symbol of a snake curved around the skulls head. Suddenly, the brief security he had crumbles.

Percy dashes inside, even though he knew no stronger wards, he places every ridiculous protection spell he knows on the house. He throws even more ridiculous charms and glamours of the twins and he paces, trying to find a solution.

Two weeks later his solution comes in the form of some rather illegal fake id's, a good few hundred thousand knuts and sickles, some hundred converted pounds and two days of tedious arguments with unpleasant and greedy Gringott workers.

**Birthing, teething, walking.**

When the twins were first-born, mid-December, prior to the war, he held his wife through her whopping twenty-three hour labour and thought that the hardest was over as he held one daughter and Audrey's hand, watching Audrey hold his other darling.

They have her skin colouring and her hair texture, but his eye structure and hair colour, he thinks vaguely.

Three and a half months later when he holds an exhausted Audrey in his arms, thinking of the amount of files they just burnt and lives they'd saved, MJ cries and throws the worse tantrum ever. Her little lungs wheeze and her face turns purple, her shouts prompting Lucy to wail as well. An hour later when Audrey comes back with a teary eyed yet quiet MJ and a newly brewed teething potion, he thinks the worst is over.

While laying Lucy down next to Molly, he notes the way they sleep. Lucy is Audrey, curled up next to her big sister in the way Audrey did with him. Molly is him, not quiet holding her sister, but still unconsciously close to each other. It's a random yet comforting thought.

At nine months, Lucy jumps up and walks. She takes five steps, each ungraceful and shaky, but her dark blue eyes gleam in delight and she smiles at him with the force of the sun. Percy feels a phantom pain ache in his heart and when Lucy slips and falls into his embrace, he holds her tight and congratulates her in the way Audrey would, feeling his limbs frost from within.

MJ looks displeased, he notes when he sees her watching the from the middle of the room, so with forced light heartedness, he picks Lucy up and stalks over to Lucy, entertaining the two. He knows the worst has passed, knows that little bumps will pop up again, that nothing is perfect, but he'll work through it. He breathes the restrained tears away and smiles, because he deserves to be a proud doting father, not some pitiful sod who'd lost his bird. MJ is pleased with the acknowledgement, so she offers him s goofy smile, before grabbing her crayon and scribbling against the paper.

**Ignorance.**

Admittedly, Fred and George are still angry, so them searching, or even being included in the plans was a 'No' since Molly began thinking about it. Molly's argument is that they might hurt Percy more and that they need responsible adults involved in this private search.

_She didn't know that Fred was already studying how to replicate the Marauders map, though on a larger scale, to find Percy. Molly also didn't know that sometimes, since he left nearly three years ago, George sneaks into Percy's room, lies on the bed and thinks about everything he'd say to Percy. The twins don't tell anyone, even each other, that they miss Percy and hope he isn't like Colin Creevey, whom they found dead at Hogwarts. They wouldn't cope well, being a Dennis Creevey, someone who lost their older brother, no matter how prattish Percy seemed._

Ron gets denied because he has his plate filled with stuff to do. Being an Auror trainee, rebuilding Hogwarts and trying to live as a normal teenage wizard was a lot of work. Adding looking for his older brother who he may be angry with and has no proof of ever being alive save family photos didn't help. For that reason Harry and Hermione were kept from the knowledge that Percy's existence was wiped away from this universe as well, Hermione was too busy helping with the construction of new bills pertaining to half-blood rights and Harry had Teddy, Ginny and Death Eaters to think about.

_Arthur didn't know that Ron once got drunk and in a fit of pure rage, broke several glasses at his, Hermione and Harry's flat. That he sobbed and asked why they were never enough for Percy. Questioned the worth of their family and why he still l irrevocably loved and respected his older brother; why Percy wouldn't even apologise after everything the Weasleys' went through after the war._

Ginny is the youngest, so automatically they don't tell her. It's the right thing to do.

_One night Ginny hears Charlie talk about another dead-end and thinks maybe Charlie was helping with some Death Eaters, she thought nothing of it, until Percy's name comes up. When she learns the truth, about Percy being missing, about burnt files and dead bodies and false leads, she vomits in a waste bin in her room. The silencing spell ensures her privacy as she wallows, wondering why she's never trusted with any information._

Bill gets a surprise, Fleur is pregnant. Unable to pull the doting father away from his wife, they keep him in the dark about Percy's disappearance and all the anomalies surrounding it.

_Yet Bill feels the guiltiest. He failed as the oldest brother, so he recover that failure and reshaped it into love. He dotes on unborn child in his wife's stomach and dreams of a day where he can repent for being such a crappy older brother._

Arthur and Molly's only option is Charlie. He is the one charged with the weight of responsibility. Charlie follows false leads with hope-filled eyes and yearning to embrace his younger brother. The one who prays and searches and waste every second of his day looking for a ghost.

Seven months later the truth comes out, they refuse to remain ignorant and accept what they know as truth. Percy is missing. He has been for months. The chances are he's dead. The truth is out for the first time in forever, but nothing is well. Percy Weasley is gone.

In Dublin, Tanius Weasley holds his stomach, laughing raucously as a pair of one year old twins attack him, intent on getting the two sweets from his hands, yet they were restrained in their car seats.

"Mine!" Cecilia yells, pointing at the chocolate frog in his hand.

"Dad.." Joy moans, bend forward to grasp the packet of Bertie's beans.

Smiling while shaking his head, Tanius passes a small, very minuscule piece of chocolate to Cecilia, which she munches on happily and gives Joy a single blue jelly bean, which she enjoys thoroughly. Tanius revs the engine and slowly backs out of the town center, driving home.

The repairing family of three are ignorant to the pain felt in a London, so many miles and miles away, as they slowly drive home.

* * *

><p><strong>Right, hopefully this was alright and if you feel confused, I could clarify anything if you wanted, just ask me and I'll try my best. Just so you know, these don't actually go in chronological order, they're in random order but all happen within nine to ten months of each other, so when the twins are nine months to a bit pass their first birthday. Thank you for reading and all that jazz. I'm trying to keep the story a little more light hearted. (Not because my sister reckons I can only write sad, angst stories. Nope, not at all...)<strong>


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